Surinder Deol’s book on Ghalib released at kavi sammelan in Washington

Organized by the Aligarh Alumni Association, GOPIO.

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By The American Bazaar Staff

WASHINGTON, DC: The 7th Annual Independence Day Mushaira-Kavi Sammelan, organized by the Aligarh Alumni Association (AAA), Washington, DC chapter and the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Washington-Metro, was held at the Fairfax County Library in Herndon, Virginia on August 30.

“The beauty of Ghalib’s poetry is that your appreciation of his poetry grows more as you listen to it”, said N. K. Mishra, Minister, Cultural Affairs, Embassy of India, at the meet, who also released a book, The Treasure: A Modern Rendition of Ghalib’s Love Poetry by Surinder Deol.

Mishra said that his study of Ghalib was limited, but he remembers Ghalib’s one verse distinctly: Ghalib ne yeh kah kar tor di tasbih /Gin kar kyon naam loon us ka jo bey-hisab deta hai.

“This book is a welcome addition to the slim corpus of Ghalib in English translation, not only because it has a sure method, but also because it does not sacrifice the essential Ghalib,” said Prof. Satyapal Anand, presiding over the book release ceremony.

“Surinder Deol’s rendition of Ghalib’s poetry into English is a reflection of his in-depth understanding and sincere love for Ghalib’s multifaceted poetic compositions”, said Dr. A. Abdullah, commenting on the book.

In his talk, Deol said Ghalib became popular because one can find expressions of innovative thoughts full of metaphors and similes, and also a wide range of topics and subjects in his poetry.

The president of GOPIO-Washington-Metro, Dr. Zafar Iqbal, said that the goal of the program was to provide a forum where people could get together transcending political, religious, regional, and geographical boundaries promoting the culture of the subcontinent.

Welcoming the audience on behalf of the AAA, the association’s president, Dr. Fazal Khan, mentioned that the association has been engaged in organizing literary and cultural events, as well as collaborating with other community associations for the last 40 years. This year, the association has planned special events to celebrate 40 years of its service to the community.

Dr. A. Abdullah, the most adored conductor of poetry recitation sessions, mentioned in his introductory remark that the increasing number of participants and audience in these programs is a testimony to the desire of people to share the common heritage.

“Hindi and Urdu are twin sisters, who have different attire and are marching forward side by side in India and all over the world,” said Dr. Abdullah.

The mushaira session was presided by Abdurrahman Siddiqui and participating poets included A. Abdullah, Aziz Qureshi, Baqar Zaidi, Daler Deol Aashna, Gulshan Madhur, Kiran Nath, Mohammad Hussain Imam, Rakesh Khandelwal, Razi Raziuddin, Satyapal Anand, Vandana Singh, and Vishakha Thaker.

Some samples of the poetry recited at the event:

 Makhkhi ban kar waqt kuredey   Hai khule ghao  si zindagi  

Vandana Singh

Kaisi preet rachai tu ne hum jaise deevane main

Jaise shama jee uThti ho pighal pighal mar jane main

Razi Raziuddin

UryaN falak tak husn-e-bahar   Jhuki nazreN bhari palkain

Jhoomar laTke beyshumar   Mahek chali sarhad key paar

Daler Deol Aashna

BaharoN key din kabhi mere liyae bhi the  

Par aaya na koee qaafla sab muntazir to the

                                                  Vishakha Thaker

YaadoN ka roop miT gaya hai in boojhi pahelain hoN jaise

Dukh such mera khoob banNTi hoN bachpan ki saheliaN hoN jasie

Jeevan ki jab sham hui to socha ghar bhi ho aaeN

Kitne din yovan ke the kahaN guzaare bhhol gaey

                                                                        Satyapal Anand

Sura gaate gaate main ghanshyam hua jaata hooN

Aur tulsi ke manas meiN rah kar main khd raan hua jaata hooN

                                                                        Rakesh Khandelwal

Apne aaNgan se kaee sooraj huey the roo fishaN

Kiya khabar thi is tapish meiN saebaaN jal jae ga

                                                                        Hussain Imam

Maghrib ki simt jaane ko jaate to ho magar

Aisa na ho ki tumheiN bhi wahanN ki hava kage

                                                                        Aziz Qureshi

Insaan ka vajood hai israr meiN nihaN   Itna samajh meiN aata hai jitna dikhaee de

Is shaher-e-na sipaas meiN sab ajnabi haiN  Apna to koee mere maula dikahee de

                                                                                                    Baqar Zaidi

Ghazal unko sunane lage hain                   Maze zindgani ke aane lage hain

KaTi umr saari to ghar yaad aaya       Chalo hosh aakhir Thikane Lage hain

                                                                                                     AbdurRahman Siddiqui